SMOLLETT SMYRNA. 



293 



Series, in 7 vols. 12mo. In 1757, when a stain 

 had been left on the courage of England, our author 

 wrote the Reprisal, or the Tars of Old England, 

 an after-piece in two acts, intended to excite the 

 national spirit. It was favourably received at Drury 

 Lane, and is still a favourite on the stage. Early 

 in 1758, Smollett gave to the world his Complete 

 History of England, deduced from the descent of 

 Julius Ccesar to the treaty of Aix la Chapelle in 

 1748, in 4 vols. 4to. This work is said to have 

 been composed and printed in fourteen months, a 

 mental effort almost unrivalled. It was reprinted 

 in the following year in 1 1 vols. 8vo. and the weekly 

 sale was above 10,000. 



When Sir John Mordaunt was tried for his un- 

 successful expedition against Rochefort in 1757, 

 some blame was cast upon Admiral Knowles, who 

 defended himself in a pamphlet bearing his name. 

 This pamphlet was reviewed in the Critical Re- 

 view with such improper acrimony, that the Ad- 

 miral prosecuted the printer for a libel. When 

 sentence was about to be pronounced against the 

 printer, Smollett avowed himself the author, and 

 was sentenced to a fine of 100 and three months' 

 imprisonment. This spirited conduct on the part 

 of our author was highly applauded, and he was 

 visited in the King's Bench prison by many of the 

 most distinguished characters of the day. During 

 his confinement he composed his Adventures of Sir 

 Lancelot Greaves, which first appeared in detached 

 portions in the monthly numbers of the British 

 Magazine for 1760 and 1761, but it was afterwards 

 published separately in 2 vols. in 1762. About 

 this time he wrote the histories of France, Italy and 

 Germany, for the modern part of the Universal His- 

 tory; and in 1761, 1762 and 1765, he published, in 

 five volumes, his Continuation of the History of 

 England down to 1765. The unpopular administra- 

 tion of Lord Bute was naturally defended by Smol- 

 lett, when he perceived that its unpopularity was in 

 some measure owing to the premier being a Scots- 

 man. For this purpose he established a weekly 

 paper called the Briton, which gave rise to the 

 North Briton, under the management of the cele- 

 brated Wilkes. 



In 1763, he had the misfortune to lose his only 

 daughter, who died in the fifteenth year of her age, 

 and left him in a state of hopeless despondency. 

 The state of his own health, which too assiduous 

 study had impaired, combined with this domestic 

 calamity, induced him to quit England for a milder 

 climate. He accordingly spent about two years in 

 France and Italy, and on his return in 1766, he pub- 

 lished his Travels through Prance and Italy, containing 

 Observations on Character, Customs, Religion, Go- 

 vernment, &c. with an account of the Climate of 

 Nice, and a Register of the Weather, in 2 vols. 8vo. 

 In 1766, he again visited Scotland; and in 1767 he 

 published his History and Adventures of an Atom, 

 in 2 vols. 12mo., a political romance, supposed to 

 be written in 1768, and displaying under Japanese 

 names the different party men in Great Britain from 

 1756 to 1761. 



A recurrence of his ill health induced him again 

 to visit Italy in 1770. After a short residence at 

 Leghorn he retired to Monte Nuovo, a romantic 

 situation in its vicinity. Here he composed his 

 Expedition of Humphry Clinker, in 3 vols. 12mo., a 

 work which met with high approbation, and is re- 

 garded as one of the best of all his works. This 

 was the hist effort of his pen. His bodily strength 

 gradually declined, and he died at his house near 



Leghorn on the 21st October 1771, in the 51st 

 year of his age. His widow erected a plain monu- 

 ment to his memory, with an inscription by Dr 

 Armstrong. In 1774 a Tuscan column was erected 

 to his memory on the banks of the Leven by his 

 cousin, James Smollett, Esq. of Bonhill, with an 

 inscription partly written by Dr Johnson, Professor 

 G. Stuart, and Mr Ramsay of Ochtertyre. 



An edition of Smollett's works, in 8 vols. 8vo., 

 was published in 1797, with Memoirs of his Life; 

 to which is prefixed a View of the Commencement 

 and Progress of Romance, by Dr Moore. Dr An- 

 derson had previously collected the poetical works 

 of Smollett, which appeared with an excellent Me- 

 moir of his Life, in the works of the British Poets. 

 The same learned editor published a new edition of 

 his Miscellaneous Works, in 1796, and in 1803, he 

 published in a separate volume, Th'e Life of Tobias 

 Smollett, M. D. with Critical Observations on his 

 works, which went through several editions. The 

 following is Dr Moore's estimate of Smollett's 

 character: " The person of Dr Smollett was stout 

 and well-proportioned, his countenance engaging, 

 his manner reserved, with a certain air of dignity 

 that seemed to indicate that he was not unconscious 

 of his own powers. He was of a disposition so 

 humane and generous that he was ever ready to 

 serve the unfortunate, and, on some occasions, to 

 assist them beyond what his circumstances would 

 justify. Though few could penetrate with more 

 acuteness into character, yet none was more apt to 

 overlook misconduct when attended with misfor- 

 tune. He lived in a hospitable manner, but he 

 despised that hospitality which is founded on osten- 

 tation. He invited to his plain but plentiful table, 

 the persons whose characters he esteemed, in whose 

 conversation he delighted, and many for no other 

 reason than because they stood in need of his 

 countenance and protection. Free from vanity, 

 Smollett had a considerable share of pride, and great, 

 sensibility ; his passions were easily moved, and too 

 impetuous when raised; he could not conceal his 

 contempt of folly, his detestation of fraud, nor re- 

 frain from proclaiming his indignation against every 

 instance of oppression. He was of an intrepid, in- 

 dependent, imprudent disposition, equally incapa- 

 ble of deceit and adulation,' and more disposed to 

 cultivate the acquaintance of those he could serve, 

 than of those who could serve him. What wonder 

 that a man of his character was not what is called 

 successful in life." For a masterly estimate of the 

 comparative merits of Smollett and Fielding, see 

 Sir Walter Scott's Life of Smollett, in his Lives of 

 the Novelists. 



SMUGGLING; the offence of importing goods 

 without paying the duties imposed thereon. See 

 Contraband, and Taxes. 



SMYRNA (Turkish, Jsmtr); a city on the 

 western coast of Natolia, situated at the bottom of 

 a deep gulf, about fifty miles from the sea, in a 

 delightful country; lat. 38 28' N.; Ion. 27 8' E. 

 Smyrna was probably an Ephesian colony, and was 

 successively in the possession of the jEolians, loni- 

 ans, Lydians, and Macedonians. It was destroyed 

 by the Lydians, and was afterwards rebuilt by- 

 Alexander. Having been received into the Ionian 

 confederacy, it soon became the mart of Asia Minor, 

 the seat of art, and the resort of strangers. In the 

 thirteenth century, only the nuns of its former splen- 

 dour were left ; but after the Turks became masters 

 of the country, it revived. The town rises from the 

 shore to a hill on which is an old castle, and not 



